If you've played Splinterlands, you're probably aware that low mana battles can be extremely tricky to win. You have to be really strategic in the cards that you choose. They need to be low mana, but they also need to be powerful.
A longtime favorite tank for low mana battles has been Cerberus. When you combine him with Malric (a Beta edition summoner) or Tarsa (a new Chaos Legion summoner) for the +1 melee attack.
This is a 4 mana melee card in the fire element that gives you healing at level 1. At level 3+ he has 3 attack and at level 5+ he has the retaliate ability.
BUT, as of 12/24/21, Cerberus is $74 for a Level 1 beta edition card. He's pricey, but he's good.
There is a new kid on the scene though...
This is a 4 mana melee neutral card that gives you healing at level 2. At level 5+ he has 2 attack and at level 6+ he has the void ability.
And right now this card is a steal. As of 12/24/21 Xenith Monk is $1.20 for a level 1 card.
If we compare these two cards at level 5, it's pretty clear that Cerberus is the stronger card.
Cerberus has an extra melee attack and he gets the 2nd ability at level 5, instead of level 6. And retaliate is an AWESOME ability. I love Cerberus.
But Xenith Monk is neutral, so you can use it with any element. AND the price difference is huge. You would pay $72.80 more for a level 1 Cerberus.
So for me, Xenith Monk is absolutely the winner here. I've used him a ton and I love this card for low mana battles.
Here's a recent battle where I won with a level 3 Xenith Monk:
https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_bc719b5483c3d1878eda062f59f6bec4&ref=liljami95
Have you tried Xenith Monk and/or Cerberus? Let me know what you think of these cards in the comments.